Shuttle car



w. R. BECK 2,609,115

` SHUTTLE CAR 5 Sheevts-Sheet-Z Sept. 2, 1952 Filed sept. 1, 195o LOADER Boo/47 LOADER BooM Y l Y l um..." "man".

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g., Zlfllam., Beck #ulg Tol? NE y W. R. BECK Sept. 2, 1952 SHUTTLE CAR 5 Sheets-Shea?I 3 Filed Sept. l, 1950 Elf? ,4v-Tommy Patented Sept. 2, 1952 f sTArEs PATENT OFFICE I `William R. Beck', Chicago, Ill., assignor to GoodmanManufactui-ing Company, Chicago, Ill., a

. corporation `oi? Illinois Application September 1, 1950, Serial No. 182,745

V"I'hisV invention relates to a shuttle car par ticularly adapted for the transportation of bulk materials such as in the mining of v coal. `As the name indicates. a shuttle carwith 4which this invention Ais vconcerned is adapted for moving back and forth between a receiving point such as a coal loading machine and adischarging point such as a mine car or conveyor.

This invention Vis concerned specifically with improvements in the type of shuttle car disclosed in PatentNo; 2,192,650, issued March 5, 1940 to John D. Russell.

The above-mentioned type of shuttle car has an elongated body with relatively wideand narrow compartments at the rear' and front, respectively. A longitudinally movable chain and flight conveyor runs along the bottom to facilitate loading and to make possible unloading. When filled, material is mounted high above the body, ordinarily as much as can be piled on without spillage during movement to the discharging point. Since the narrow compartment is at the front or discharge end of the body all the Vmaterial in the relatively wide rear compartment must be moved through it. In the conventional shuttle car spillage during -unloading at'the discharge point has heretofore been consideredl unavoidable because unloading movement of the conveyor imparts some forward movement to all the material in the relatively wide rear compartment, causing some of the material, initially, to Ybespilled over the sides ofthe narrow compartment. i This, of course, makes extra clean up work to control the height ofthe pileof spilled material. With the present invention the above-mentioned spillage and the clean up work made necessary thereby are entirely eliminated by upstanding guide or bafile formations on the angular sides deiining the wide compartment which function to direct the pile of material therein downwardly, into the wide compartment, as it is unloaded by the conveyor. Other objects and advantages will be seen in the following description taken in connection with the drawings in which:

Figure l is an isometric view of a shuttle car illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention; `Fig.l 2 is a fragmentary plan View ofthe 'car shown in Fig. l;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are longitudinal sectional views of the car showing diiferent stages in loading during which material is mounted high atop the car; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse, cross-sectional view of Fig. 2, taken along line 6-6.

3 claims. (c1. 214483.36)

Referring now more specifically to the embodiment shown in the drawings, the shuttle car comprises a body 2l having transversely spaced longitudinally extending side walls 22 defining a receiving compartment 23 and a discharge compartment 24 at the rear and front, respectively, of the car. The bottom of the body comprises a chain and flight conveyor 26 adapted to be moved forwardly to facilitate loading ofthe car and to make possible unloading. The forward portion of the discharge compartment 24 comprises an elevating section defined between a pair of side walls 21 which are pivoted for up and 'down movement about a transverse axis indicated at 28 in Fig. 3. `By this construction in which the discharge compartment is relatively narrower an operators control compartment 29 and a motor or vcontrol box 3| may be installed 'within the overall width limits of the car. Rubberv .tired wheels 32, in `this instance, are providedfor carrying the body and the body may be supported thereon in any suitable manner. The relatively wide receiving compartment 231s defined by a pair of side walls 33 which are angularly inclined upwardly and outwardly from the conveyor 26. A minor upstanding cusp or convexity 34 is provided to make room for the rear wheels 32.

So far the structure described is conventional andV is described in considerably more detail in the above-mentionedpatent. o

It will be apparent that, with the conventional structure only as above-described, when the body is piled high Hwith. coal, for instance, and the conveyor` 26 is moved forward to discharge the coal, the entire mound of coal in the receiving compartment will be given a forward motion. This forward` motion, of course, will be at its greatest speedat the center and will be much slower at the sides. However, before the pile has been reducedfin height below the top edge of the body somer of it along the side walls 33 will be moved forwardly and spilled oii onto the ground at .the sides ofthe discharge compartmentor into the operators control compartment.

By the present invention the above-mentioned spillage is entirely eliminated through Vthe use of transverse upstanding baffle plates or guides 36 which preventforward movement of that part ofthe pile supported on the side wallsy 33 and guides it downwardly onto the conveyor after the latter has removed the central portion of the load. Each of the baiiles 36 is formed of a pair of similarly shaped plates 36a, 36a welded together along a common apex line 36h and welded to one or the other of the side walls 33 along longitudinally spaced lines 36e. Thus, in

In operation, when used: with animal/.loading` machine, for example, the shuttle car may be loaded as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and. Y

To begin the loading operation the shuttle car will be moved under the loading machine dis-v charge boom 3l so that the end of the boom is forward-i. of` thegforvvardl motion bailleformation 36.=. Preferably, the' endofy thefboom: will. be near. the .-forward: portionfv of f the receiving.7 compartment `23'.- Theloader boom conveyorzis then-t oper-atedztoz. make an vinitialv pile `of coal between thei'receiving and discharge compartments as .in-.-

dicated'at-SB inFi'g-.-.3`.; v

Then, .withoutchanging the relative .positions ofi' thexshuttlegcar or'floaderI boom, the-operator will. inchtheconveyor 26-sdoW1y backward While coal-is-.being,receivedfuntilthe .pile of: coal reaches. theifront of thefcar-Lwitlri a.contour'as designated Theashuttle: car 1 isithenv movedV forwardrto itsr discharging: point': (not shown) where i the'. op-erA` atorlelevates the forward` section 2'ls`uitably and starts th'eLconveyor: 2Smovingainla forward andv dischargingfdirection asindicated by' the arrows 42 .in'Figg- 2.. This' empties thecar first by. dragging1 out the.: central part of the. load above the conveyor" duringfwhichti'me the Aload* at the sides resting. against 'the Ywalls 33 i is blocked L: against forward longitudinal movement 'by' means of the guide f formations361;l Since the center f part of the pile lower tha't part'on the :sides movest ini- Wardly" and:- downwardly the. direction of are rows 43 (Fig-f 2 toiA Yjoini the: material .beingVVA dis-,- charged'at the-.frontof'thecan Y .'Wnile one formi inwhich" thetpresent inveni- 'tion-may be embodied has been.r shownzand de.- scribed it will bei. understoodthat various 'modi flcatons and variations rthereofrmay bei affected without! departing from" the spirit andV scope ofl thefinvention as defined by the appended claims. I claim:

l; 'In a shuttle-car, the combinationofla'mae terial f receivlnglf body having tW'of 'sidel walls v extending substantially the full" lengtlifo'f said body and defining? receiving and" discharge" compartments, and aiconveyor form'ing thefib'o'ttorn of sa'idbody` andi adapted todis'charge material from` the'forwa-rd end of saidbody, at least-a 4 partment being angularly inclined upwardly and outwardly from the edges of the conveyor Whereby the receiving compartment is of greater width than the discharge compartment, said angularly inclined side wall portions having upstanding material guiding baiile formations extending into that portion of the receiving compartment above the: conveyor andeffectiveto resist longitudinal movement of material therealong responsive to movement of the conveyor from the receiving to the discharge compartments.

2k In a shuttle car. `the combination of a material receivingrfbodyv having two side walls extendingrsubstantially the full length of said body anddeningreceiving and discharge compartments, and a conveyor forming the bottom of said body and adapted to discharge material from-.th'e forward end of said body, at least a portion of said side walls in the receiving compartment being` angularly inclined upwardly, and outwardly `from-the edgesof the conveyor where byftheY receiving compartment is of '.greaterfvvi'dth than theT discharge., compartment,v said'angu-v larly inclinedfsidewall portions having transf verse upstanding baille plates thereon spacedfrom .-the entrance to thedischarge compartment and having a transverse..spacing between theii inner ends lessr thanY the width ofthe side Walls' of. the; dischargeV compartment, ywhereby lsaid baille plates' areeffective, whenthe.conveyor' is. running, :to direct flow of material,A which. is

against. sai-d. inclined side Walllportionsf transverselydownward. toward. the'. conveyor asthe latter is operated .tof move material longitudinally,y of the body. A

3. Ina shuttle' car, the combinationy of vafina,- terial-receiving, body .having twoside `walls ex tending. substantially the full length of said"y bodyand defini-ng receiving; and discharge;con'ipartportionf'f s'aid side walls inI'the-.receivingficonie mentsya longitudinally extending*v conveyor'lat the bottom of-saidv body andadapted tomove material from-saidreceiving compartment andl through' the'. discharge compartment, at least v.a portion' of-'said sidewallsin thef receiving'comvpartmentn being langularly inclinedv upwardly and outwardly from-the .edgefoff ,the conveyor .whereby the receivingrcompartrnent.isof greaterwidth than the.V discharge` compartment; said angularly; inclined side Walla portions having upstanding; material-guidingf` bale, formations spaced from the; juncture vbetween said compartments and-...extending into ;th'efarea above -thefconveyor isaid; receiving compartment and being eilec-f tive; to :resistclongitudinal movementfof material therea'long` for confining said Vlongitudinal move-j ment'of said-:material by thel conveyor tcrthat portion ciV the: material above-the conveyor;

. WILLIAM R. BECKQ.

REFERENCES CITED`A The following.'references` are of record-in' the le of l"this patent: I 1

UNITED"STATES'.PA'I'ENTS.

Baechli ...-e-n Feb. 2'7, 19,51 

